


A Rose By Any Other Name

by reinadefuego



Category: X-Men (Comicverse)
Genre: F/F, Femslash, Ficlet, X-Men Femslash Week
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-23
Updated: 2019-07-23
Packaged: 2020-07-12 01:41:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 537
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19937965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reinadefuego/pseuds/reinadefuego
Summary: Planning the perfect date? Impossible. Taking dating advice from Wolverine? Idiocy. Clara should've known better.Written for X-Men Femslash Week 2017 - "Day One: Flowers" - on Tumblr.





	A Rose By Any Other Name

"Um, here," Clara said, thrusting her tightly gripped bouquet out towards Jean. She'd been um-ing and ah-ing all morning at the florist's in District X and had finally settled on a bunch of roses because a) the colour matched Jean's hair, and b) the scent wasn't overwhelming. Even with the aid of suppressants Trask Industries had released, overstimulation was as easy as going outside her apartment. "I—" oh God, she'd rehearsed this ten times in front of the mirror last night! "I thought you might like them."

Ha! She'd told Logan she could do this, it was just a matter of figuring out the right words and the right order to say them in. Talking to animals was so much easier than people. Horses and dogs didn't like rejection anymore than she did. Her scars, hidden beneath a pile of concealer, only added to her fears. Trying to talk to a telepath — never knowing if they were already reading your mind, or were having a conversation with someone else — was mired in terror and anxiety, let alone that nagging knowledge she was actively keeping secrets from Jean.

"You didn't have to go all out for Valentine's Day, y'know." Jean smiled and clutched the flowers close to her chest. This whole dating someone who wasn't Scott thing was starting to feel increasingly comfortable with each day that passed. Not that she held any active interest in Scott's life anymore, but according to Emma he was doing well enough. So long as he wasn't interfering in her life, Jean didn't care who he slept with.

"I thought that was the point. Logan—"

"Rule one," Jean said, trying to talk over the noise of a motorbike roaring past them as they stood under a bus shelter, "never take dating advice from Logan. Ever. The flowers are beautiful though, but I didn't get you any."

Clara shrugged. She didn't care. What mattered was the intention. If Jean said she didn't have to go all out, she wouldn't, but Clara wasn't going to waste the opportunity. "And our ride is right on schedule. No powers allowed today, got it?"

"Do I get to know where we're going?"

"There's a farm an hour from here, with a field covered in sunflowers and dandelions. They also have stables so I booked you some riding lessons."

"Clara, this is too much." Riding lessons? The last time she'd gotten on a horse, something had spooked it and sent her tumbling onto the ground. She'd also narrowly missed being kicked in the chest, no thanks to Emma fucking Frost. "Are you sure about the horses?"

"You said you wanted to get to know me better. Well, Jeannie, this is me." The look in Jean's eyes, however, made her pause. "We can always just hide in the sunflowers and make out if the horses aren't your thing."

"Horses have tried to kill me in the past."

"Won't you just wake up in your grave if they succeed?"

"No, I think . . . I'm pretty sure I'll stay dead this time."

Of course she would stay dead and ruin their fun. What use was the Phoenix Force if you couldn't pull a few strings now and again. "Flower field it is."


End file.
